Sony DSC-W1

Pre-PMA 2004: Sony today announced the new compact 'rangefinder
style' five megapixel digital camera, the CyberShot DSC-W1. This camera
has a five megapixel sensor and a three times optical zoom (which Sony
claim extends in under a second), on the rear is a large 2.5" LCD
monitor . The DSC-W1 will be available in both a black and silver body
finish and should be in stores (in the US) around May time for $400.

LAS VEGAS (PMA 2004, Booth M30), Feb. 11, 2004  Once you play with
Sonys new five-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W1 camera, you will
realize the adage of not judging a book by its cover also applies to digital
cameras.

Available in May for about $400, its small size (a little larger than
a deck of cards) belies the performance within, which is largely attributed
to the inclusion of Sonys new Real Imaging Processor circuit. Designed
specifically for the special tasks of digital cameras, the new processor
aids in fast camera response times and extended battery life with up to
340 shots between power charges.

Either as a step-up model for those who have tried digital photography
or those who are looking to cross-over from film cameras, the Cyber-shot
W1 camera allows users to explore the possibilities of photography digitally.

As digital music improved music, the new Cyber-shot W1 is an example
of Sonys way of improving photography digitally, said Greg
Young, Sony Electronics director of digital camera marketing.

`Turn the camera on and the telescoping Carl Zeiss® Vario Tessar®
3X optical zoom lens fully extends in about a second, and the large 2.5-inch
color LCD screen comes to lifesignaling that the camera is ready-to-go.
For those wanting to frame a shot at eye-level, the optical viewfinder
is also available.

Once on, the Cyber-shot W1 camera focuses and shoots full-resolution
images in a little over one second intervals, and can capture TV-quality
resolution video clips up to the capacity of an optional Memory Stick
PRO flash media card.

Sophisticated Yet Simple

The W1 is built for photographers who want to capture great images through
a host of automatic features to help balance light and exposure, but who
also want the option to manually control the picture-taking process. Among
the appealing features are:

Five-area Multi-Point Auto Focus: The camera evaluates five
separate areas of the frame and intelligently focuses on the subject,
displaying the selected focus point.

Multi-Pattern Measuring: Independently meters the light in
49 points of the frame to establish the optimum exposure, even when
highlight and shadow arent centered in the frame.

Manual Exposure Controls: Flexible exposure control in which
shutter speeds from 30-1 1/1000 seconds and apertures of f2.8 
5.2 can be selected.

Live Histogram: The live histogram displays number of pixels
at each luminosity, making it easy to evaluate correct exposure for
each shot.

Auto Fill Flash: When the subject is backlit or in shadow,
the fill flash automatically fires to provide optimum exposure.